The Pennsylvania Library Association just announced the 2019 first quarter PA Forward^TM Star Library awardees and are proud to recognize the Montgomery County – Norristown Public Library among the Gold Star recipients. More than 40 libraries from throughout the state earned star status.

“We continue to be in awe of the work of our libraries and all they are doing to help residents,” said Brandi Hunter-Davenport, Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward Project Manager. “The PA Forward Star Library program acknowledges libraries’ intentional investments in literacy programming. Programs can include first-time home buyer seminars to healthy eating and overall wellness activities. They can include toddler story time or tech programs for seniors. Regardless of the type of program being offered, libraries are clearly more than book repositories. Libraries are educating and investing in the people they connect with. These individuals then turn around and make direct investments in their overall communities. Every day, libraries are changing lives and we thank the Montgomery County – Norristown Public Library, and all libraries for what they do.”

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The awards were issued as a part of National Library Week celebrated earlier this month. This annual celebration, sponsored by the American Library Association, honors the continuous contributions of libraries and library workers around the country and is a reminder to encourage library use and support.

“We appreciate that PA Forward is encouraging libraries across the commonwealth to speak with one voice in highlighting the ways in which we all foster literacy,” said Karen DeAngelo, Montgomery County District Consultant Librarian. “We’re very proud to lend our voice to this effort.”

PA Forward, which launched statewide in 2012, works through five key literacies – Basic, Information, Civic & Social, Health and Financial – to assist individuals in enhancing their overall quality of life. To continue helping libraries use PA Forward to demonstrate all their libraries offer, in January 2017, the Association kicked off the Star Library program statewide. The Star Library recognition offers support to libraries who participate and integrate PA Forward’s literacies in their programming activities. Those libraries are recognized for meeting benchmarks within the bronze, silver and gold star levels of the program.

Stars are awarded on a quarterly basis in the calendar year and the recognition is for the highest level attained in the program at the time of the award. Libraries were recognized for achievements earned between December 16, 2018 and March 31, 2019.

Two other Montgomery County libraries received awards as well this period. The Horsham Township Library and the Perkiomen Valley Library received the first and fifth levels of the Silver Star, respectively.

For a full listing of PA Forward Star Libraries and their levels of achievement, visithttp://paforwardstarlibraries.org/star-status/. For more information about National Library Week, visithttp://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/nlw.  For more information about the Montgomery County – Norristown Public Library, call Karen DeAngelo at 610-278-5100, ext. 124.

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